Ceci n'est pas une pipe: A landscape is not just a landscape. How did the technique, value, and meaning of landscape paintings shift in China over time? How were the varying zeitgeists, such as isolation, international humiliation, flourishing periods of cultural growth, contained in the Tang-Contemporary period represented in the landscape paintings?

Types of Brush Strokes Utilised in Landscapes:-飛白 / "flying white": a calligraphic effect created when the tip of the brush begins to dry and separate, causing a single stroke to appear as a group of delicate parallel lines-axe-cut strokes-hemp fibre strokes: brush strokes that appear like long, wavy lines of fibre - associated with the Five Dynasties Period

Techniques-工笔 / "tidy craftsmanship": the careful, meticulous style of Chinese calligraphy and art, use of colour, highly detailed brushstrokes of many varities-寫意/"sketching thoughts": interpretative, more abstract, less realistic, more dramatic and dark use of blacks and whites

The Evolution of Chinese Landscape as it Reflects the Evolution of Chinese History:

唐朝艺术 [táng cháo] 618-907

The Tang Dynasty was a period of unparalleled order, advancement, and cultural flourishing for China, and is often known as part of the Golden Age. Landscapes from this period reflect this archaic and elegant style. As the Tang disintegrated, with it taking away the illusions of a permanent, stable system of rule for the citizens of China, the concept of the viewer's withdrawal into nature became a paramount feature of the art form, as citizens faced the terrifying realities of a decaying dynasty.

A Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) era Chinese painting of a water-powered mill for grain, with surrounding river transport; a Northern Song Dynasty Artist

﻿​​宋朝 [sòng cháo] 960-1279​After the decay of the Tang, a new Golden Age formed, a well-organised bureaucracy and time of more advancement known as the Song. Landscape paintings became a way for artists to exert order into the natural world just as the dynasty exerted order upon the people, this order was respected and loved as a means of maintaining the technological, scientific, and cultural heights of China. The paintings from this period are darker in colour and more naturalistic, in addition to being very detail-oriented and reflecting man's control over nature.

元朝 [yuán cháo] 1271-1368​An outside group of rulers, China's northern neighbours - the Mongols - took over, ending the Song Dynasty. China was devastated and the developing national identity suffered under the realities of the take over. Within the art realm, the disenfranchised former elite of the Song channeled this isolation and desperation into nonrealistic landscape paintings, known as the literati. They tended to use more dramatic colour and were much less concerned with realism than earlier dynastic periods.

​明朝 [míng cháo] 1368-1644​Finally, China was again controlled by the Chinese. The Ming Dynast revived the traditions of the Song following a long-awaited expelling of the Mongol rulers, and a new national identity flourished. With the elites and artists vindicated, the art of this period was again marked by well-organised landscapes with dynamic compositions. There is stark contrast between this period and the earlier Yuan dynasty. Painters became once again concerned with realism, interested in illustrating the beauty and spirituality found in nature. The darkness and abstractness of the Yuan were nowhere to be found in the new Ming Dynasty.

清朝 [qīng cháo] 1644-1912​Again, China overtaken by outsiders, this time the Manchus, although in contrast to the Mongols the Manchus embraced Chinese culture including the literati style. They provided monetary sponsorship to the literati types. The Manchus took great steps to preserve and encourage classical art forms, and while the national identity again languished in confusion over the outsider control, said outsiders took great steps to ensure the preservation and continuation of classical Chinese landscape.

"Landscape", Wang Hui, 1674 or 1677, 22 x 44 cm, The Met

Below, a Chinese landscape artist will demonstrate some of the most common techniques used in this classical art style. The video is in Chinese, but it's an excellent visual representation of less commonly known artistic techniques; it also gives you an idea of the huge variance between brushstrokes and the precision required to conduct these works.

"Viridescence", Yang Yong Liang, 2009

当代 [dāng dài] -present​​While classical Chinese art decreased under the Communist government, there is still an important role for landscape in contemporary Chinese art. A great example of an artist who continues to utilise the principles and techniques of earlier dynastic periods is Yang Yong Liang (1980-). He studied traditional Chinese calligraphy and painting in Shanghai as a young man, and he now seeks to combine these ancient techniques with elements of modern cityscapes and contemporary content. His art echoes contemporary concerns about the environment of China, the impact of global climate change, smog, and other national concerns. While the age of state-sponsored landscape as a fundamental part of the Chinese cultural identity has ended, it's clear that the techniques and content from these earlier centuries still impacts art as a whole in China and in the diaspora.

In Art IV, I did my art radar trend project on Neotraditionalism in Contemporary Islamic Art, which reminds me a lot of Yang Yong Liang and other similar artists' efforts to juxtapose traditional techniques with modern content and composition. Shahzia Sikander, a Pakistani artist, was trained in classical Persian miniature painting, and utilises her knowledge of this ancient art form to make commentary on the perception of Muslim women in Western cultures.

I think your assessment of the changes in landscapes and painting styles as a reflection of what was happening in China is interesting. I did something similar with Japan for my semester 1 project - where different time periods and government influence (centralized vs decentralized, political prosperity, golden ages etc) affected the type of art created. Religion also had a big influence. Examples include: During the Yayoi period, there was lots of commerce between Japan and Korea, causing bronze casting and metal working skills to be introduced to Japan. After that, bronze became the main medium for sculpture and ornamentation. Also, during the Asuka period, the temples that Japan is now famous were initiated because that time period was one of peace, loose government, and cultural borrowing - similarly to how the Ming dynasty allowed art to express China's identity. Finally, Pure Land Buddhism was popular during the Kamakura period. It ruled that one could achieve salvation through belief in Buddhism. As a result, landscapes became darker in color and mood, as it was a simpler, darker time of spiritual degeneration.

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Ben

6/5/2016 09:33:50 pm

I think your analysis of the evolution of Chinese painting styles in regards to Chinese History is very interesting as it is a fairly specific topic. The fact that you went through each dynastic period and analyzed the specific styles and any vocabulary related to it. The video also helps the material seem more comprehensive and it is overall presented very well.

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Josie Ladle

6/8/2016 01:31:49 pm

Landscape paintings are so ~serene~ and calming, you know?
WELL, so does Kristin Fawcett, who wrote this super cool article about them! It's really similar to your post (plagiarizing, Alix?? What is left when honor is lost???) in that it ties a lot of history in with the paintings.

Here's the article:
Relax Like You Are in 12th-Century China and Take in These Lush Landscape Paintings
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/relax-12th-century-china-take-these-lush-landscape-paintings-180951583/?no-ist

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Lyla Rossu

6/9/2016 09:15:32 pm

Funny enough, Josie, I actually used that same article in my research for my first semester project on Chinese landscape painting. The juxtaposition of old and new, integrated with tradition, is so pertinent within art history, and I love the connection you made there. This was even elaborated on in the video we watched today in class, of the Chinese artist who creates large scale photographs to juxtapose the artistic tradition of the West with his own culture. Not only does his example incorporate the old and new, but also the East and West, which I think is essential to Chinese landscape painting.

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Ellie Kim

6/9/2016 10:36:57 pm

I absolutely love your topic!! It is something that I never would have thought of myself, but it is so so interesting and I'm so glad I got the chance to read it. It actually reminded me of my post on Kosodes, because both the landscape paintings and the garments changed based on the political feeling of the time. Even more interesting is that the types of art are from different countries - that is big art history!!

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Alex Norman

6/9/2016 10:42:35 pm

I really appreciate the structure and concise nature of your post! More than that though, I was especially intrigued by your research on how the Chinese used their tranquil landscape work to find peace/control and/or come to terms with the chaos of their times. This theme of using art as a way to feel that sense of certainty or control or even express a sense of uncertainty was a particularly poignant message presented in today's video we watched about modern art. That said, it was neat to see the same theme come up through the ages as China went through various stages of political upheaval and change.

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Erin Paasch

6/10/2016 12:08:27 am

This post reminded me of one of the rooms in the VMFA's Forbidden City exhibit, and seeing the ink marks in person. I could put an image with the terms "flying white" and "axe-cut", which is always a cool feeling as opposed to simply seeing a piece in a textbook.
I love how you took looks at all the different dynasties, who was in power, and how the art/culture changed. Great job Alix!!!

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Evelyn

6/10/2016 12:13:54 am

As you talked about the serenity and unity of this kind of art I was struck also by the peacefulness and cohesiveness of your presentation. I really appreciate your comment thread between different cultures as you look into Islam make miniature painting even though you're doing The Chinese landscape. You cover great detail on your focus, and then you branch off into new and exciting area. I'm definitely echoing Alex's feelings here too but I really appreciate that comment thread through cultures I think that's fascinating! Have you gone to look at my post? I'd love to get your opinion on some of the things as I tried to organize the pictures using China as a major culture and therefore the focus point.

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Ishani Pendse

6/10/2016 12:34:17 am

First of all, I love Chinese landscape painting they are so beautiful and dignified almost so really like that you included a lot of examples haha. ALso I liked how your presentation gave a sort of history lesson along with all of the art info such as the brush strokes which I had no idea about and appreciated learning about.

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Campbell Wharton

6/10/2016 02:34:35 am

First of all, I love how you integrated the chinese language into your post alongside pronunciations, it's always cool to get that verbal context that so many other articles leave out. Your use of the quote in your opening lines / thesis statement was also very nice. It's obviously not very easy to get a good grasp on how each section of the history of chinese landscapes evolved, but you did so really well, and organized it in a really easy to read manner. Relating the changes in the style to the social / historical activity of the time also provided some great context. On another note, I love "A Wolf and Landmines." Super cool photo.

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Sophia Mccrimmon

6/14/2016 02:23:20 pm

It's so interesting to see how contemporary artists work to appropriate and adapt artistic styles that are so deeply steeped in tradition, like Chinese landscape painting and Persian miniature painting. The presentation of modern/political themes in these traditional art styles reminds me a lot conceptually of Kehinde Wiley's work. In the same way that these artists use ancient art from their region to comment on contemporary issues, Wiley uses traditional Western portraiture to send a message about culture and race in the modern world.

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